Pacific Blue Cross Grant to Help Children and Families in Surrey Adopt a Healthy, Active Lifestyle

March 29, 2018

Surrey, BC – The City of Surrey has received a grant for $9,900 from Pacific Blue Cross to raise awareness of Live 5-2-1-0, a simple, easy-to-follow guideline promoting healthy lifestyle choices among children, youth and families.

Live 5-2-1-0, an initiative of BC Children’s Hospital, partners with communities across British Columbia to promote healthy weights among children. Live 5-2-1-0 represents four key recommendations for raising healthy children: each day eat five servings of fruits and vegetables, have no more than two hours of recreational screen time, play actively at least one hour, and choose zero sugary drinks.

“Live 5-2-1-0 is an important initiative to encourage and teach children and families to be healthy and active,” said City of Surrey Councillor Mary Martin, who chairs the Surrey Healthier Community Partnerships Committee. “It sets the stage for healthier residents and communities—a key priority for the City of Surrey.”

The grant will be used to develop a marketing plan to raise awareness of Live 5-2-1-0 in Surrey and establish a broad network of community stakeholders—including Fraser Health, YMCA and Surrey Schools—who will work together to promote a shared consistent health message, and take action to make healthier choices easier for kids. The funding will also support a Live 5-2-1-0 youth ambassador program offering mentorship training opportunities for City of Surrey’s youth.

“By increasing physical activity levels and decreasing sedentary screen time among children in Surrey, we can have a positive influence on their mental health and wellbeing,” added Daljit Gill-Badesha. “We are very grateful to Pacific Blue Cross and looking forward to working with many partners on this initiative.”

According to Statistics Canada, over 30 per cent of Canadian children and youth are overweight or obese. Unhealthy weight can increase risk for a range of chronic diseases, including Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer.

“Pacific Blue Cross is pleased to be supporting a program that encourages health and wellbeing for children,” said Richard Taylor, Chair of the Pacific Blue Cross Health Foundation. “We look forward to seeing the positive results of these efforts in the community of Surrey and beyond.”